Thursday, September 11, 2008

Pastor Leadership Development

I thought this was a cool post by my teammate, Tracy Singleton... I worked directly with a bunch of these pastors and it is really encouraging to see them moving ahead with this class. Enjoy!

This past Monday marked the commencement of the Veritas Bible class. Comprised of fifteen students~ thirteen pastors and two seminarians~the class is held Monday, Wednesday, Friday, for two hours each day. On the first row, second from the right, is Glenn Ripley, the founder of Action Zambia. Since he and his family are returning to the states, this picture is significant~a "passing of the baton" picture, if you will. This class marks the beginning of one part of the vision for pastoral training that Glenn has nurtured for several years. In the second row, third from the right, is Alfred Mulenga, Tracy's language helper.

With almost a whole week of teaching under his belt, Tracy has found the students willing and eager to learn, enthusiastically participating in discussion. These students tend to be an older, more spiritually mature group. Most of them are preaching weekly and all of them are actively involved in ministry.

This week Tracy laid a foundation of the inspiration of Scripture, a brief overview of the Bible, and expectations for the class. Tracy strongly feels the privilege as well as the responsibility of teaching these men. We look forward to how these men will benefit from as well as use their knowledge to bless their congregations. To God be the glory!